HPV Tongue cancer – Charlie´s story

My name is Charlie Wardell. I’m 47 years of age and for head and neck cancer awareness day in 2022, I thought I´d do a quick video about what happened to me and my HPV Tongue cancer.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of HPV Tongue cancer

Back at the end of October 2021, I got a lump in my neck. It came out of nowhere. I was otherwise feeling healthy and no other symptoms. It was quite large so I went to the doctors, then went to the hospital and they were a bit baffled but they did order a CT scan and then I had a biopsy. It came back as cancer but it was HPV positive and the neck lump was the secondary tumor where it had gone to the lymph node. The primary was in the base of the tongue.

What I’ve learnt since is HPV positive cancer is found in either the tonsils or the base of the tongue. For many head and neck cancers there are usually no symptoms and no signs until it starts spreading and that’s usually a lymph node in the neck. So that’s often the first sign or symptom that you might get.

HPV positive responds well to treatment

The good thing about HPV positive cancer is it does respond very well with treatment. I had my treatment through January and February and I’m coming up to five months post-treatment. Although I’ve got a few side effects like dry mouth, a stiff neck and a bit of lymphedema, I´m otherwise all right.

Life after treatment

I’m back climbing mountains, which I used to do before my illness. Although the treatment is brutal, the HPV related cancer generally gets cured. HPV positive cancers tend to affect healthier, younger non-smokers and more men than women. Rates are increasing so if you do get a lump in your neck, go and get it checked out!

If you´ve been affected by Charlie´s story

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If you´re worried about changes in your voice, neck or mouth please refer to our simple “home check” guide.

See also other patient stories to hear about other people diagnosed with Head and Neck Cancers.

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Regular self-checks play a vital role in the early detection of Head and Neck cancer